In a remote warehouse somewhere in New York, Parker Robbins cautiously looked around the empty yard outside. The security guards who usually patrolled the area were nowhere to be seen.
Good.
He slipped a small set of lock-picking tools from his pocket and walked quietly toward the side door of the warehouse. After crouching beside the lock, he began working carefully.
A few tense seconds passed.
Then a soft click echoed through the quiet night.
The door opened.
A faint smile spread across Robbins' face.
According to information his cousin had given him, there were supposed to be valuable collectibles stored in this warehouse. If he could sneak them out and sell them quietly, the money would be enough to pay for treatment for his mother's illness.
That thought strengthened his resolve.
He slipped inside the building as quietly as possible.
The first thing he saw were rows of wooden crates stacked near the entrance. Curious, he approached one of them and pried open the lid slightly.
Inside were nothing but worn-out clothes.
Robbins frowned.
That didn't match what his cousin had described.
Then again, valuable items wouldn't be kept inside cheap crates like these.
He lifted his head and looked deeper into the warehouse.
Not far away stood several rows of tall shelves packed tightly together. Between the narrow gaps, he could see a faint flicker of light glowing in the darkness.
Robbins swallowed nervously.
A chill crept up his spine, but the thought of his sick mother pushed him forward.
He slowly drew a pistol from his waistband and held it tightly in his hand.
One step.
Two steps.
As he moved closer, the faint light grew brighter.
For some reason it seemed to sway slightly.
Like a flame.
Could someone else be here?
The possibility eased his tension a little.
Robbins approached the gap between the shelves carefully and leaned forward to look.
The moment he saw what was inside, his entire body froze in terror.
A monster.
The creature sitting on the floor had rough, blood-red skin. Two horns curved upward from its head, and its legs ended in hooves like those of a bull.
It sat cross-legged within a complex magic circle drawn on the floor.
A ring of candles surrounded the circle.
The monster appeared to be meditating.
Robbins' legs nearly collapsed beneath him.
His throat tightened so much he couldn't even scream.
Cousin… you completely screwed me over.
If I die here, who's going to take care of your aunt?
He cursed silently in his heart while slowly stepping backward.
Then—
Snap.
The sound echoed loudly in the quiet warehouse.
Robbins felt his blood run cold.
Looking down, he saw that he had stepped on a dry tree branch lying on the ground.
His luck couldn't possibly be worse.
Even drinking cold water could choke you sometimes.
Sure enough, the monster's eyes snapped open.
It stood up immediately, pushing aside the metal shelves blocking its path.
Moments later, the creature stood face to face with Robbins.
"Who dares interrupt my ceremony?" the monster growled. "Do you know that I am the Lord of Hell—"
The monster was talking.
Robbins' fear reached its peak.
He had no idea whether the pistol in his hand would even work against something like this, but it was the only thing he had.
The moment the creature noticed the gun pointed at its chest, panic flashed across its face.
"Wait," it said quickly. "Don't—"
Bang.
Bang. Bang.
Bang bang bang.
Bang bang bang bang.
Ten shots exploded in rapid succession.
Every single bullet struck its target.
Blood sprayed across the magic circle as the monster staggered backward.
Then it collapsed onto the floor.
Its eyes remained wide open, filled with disbelief and resentment.
It had just arrived in this world.
And now it was already dead.
A mighty demon lord had been killed by a human with a pistol.
If the other demons in hell ever learned about this, how could it possibly show its face again?
Robbins stared in stunned silence at the corpse lying on the ground.
"That thing… was that weak?"
He shook his head and quickly turned toward the exit.
The gunshots would attract security guards soon.
But before leaving, his eyes caught something unusual.
At the center of the magic circle lay two items.
A cloak.
And a pair of boots.
Monster stuff.
Maybe valuable.
Without thinking too much about it, Robbins grabbed both items and hurried out of the warehouse.
Far away in the Hell Dimension, Mephistopheles' furious roar once again shook the halls of his infernal palace.
After smashing several unfortunate demons into the walls, the demon lord gradually calmed down.
Recently, everything seemed to be going wrong for him.
The moment the contract had been activated, he had sensed it immediately.
His foolish son must have been completely fooled.
Whether the boy was still alive or not was another question entirely.
That part didn't surprise him anymore.
After his defeat at Ethan Voss's hands, he had already mentally prepared himself for setbacks.
And he absolutely refused to think about the Ancient One again.
That humiliation was too irritating.
But what truly enraged him was something else entirely.
He had activated a backup plan he had hidden within the human world.
And it had worked.
Then the next moment—
He died again.
The human body he created had only just been summoned.
It hadn't even had time to transform properly or receive magical power.
And it was already dead.
Ten bullets.
Every single one hit.
Ten perfect shots.
They pierced the tiny, fragile body he had just created.
The image was humiliating.
The only thing that gave him a small amount of comfort was that the thief had also stolen two items he had prepared earlier.
The cloak.
And the boots.
Mephistopheles snorted coldly.
"What belongs to me is not something you can steal so easily."
"Sooner or later, you'll pay the price."
Meanwhile, inside Typhon Building in New York, a television broadcast echoed loudly through Ethan's office.
The owner of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, was yelling furiously on the screen.
"The efficiency of the U.S. government is absolutely unbearable!"
He slammed his fist on the desk dramatically.
"Hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of weapons and ammunition have disappeared!"
His voice grew even louder.
"Do you understand what that means? That amount of weapons could start another war right here in our country!"
Jameson pointed directly toward the camera.
"So we have to ask the White House and the President one simple question."
"Where are the weapons?"
"Why has nothing been found after so many days of investigation?"
He leaned forward intensely.
"Viewers, do you understand what this means for society?"
"Do you walk home alone at night?"
"Do your children go to school?"
"Do the buildings where you work have defenses against airplanes?"
Jameson waved his arms dramatically.
"At this rate we might as well start buying cemetery plots!"
"Because if we wait too long, there won't even be space left to bury the bodies!"
Ethan watched the broadcast with a satisfied smile.
This man truly had courage.
Jameson might risk his life for profit, but his ability to stir chaos was unmatched.
News about the missing weapons had been quietly suppressed until now.
Television networks, newspapers, radio stations, and online platforms had all avoided mentioning it.
The government and major corporations had reached an unspoken agreement to bury the story.
But that agreement had just been shattered.
Ethan knew exactly what would happen next.
Once the public saw this news, panic would spread.
When the public panicked, Congress would panic.
Once Congress panicked, the White House would panic.
And after the White House panicked, the Pentagon would soon follow.
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
Let the bullets fly for another two days.
Compared to this chaos, Hammer Industries was nothing.
At that moment, the phone on his desk rang.
It was Bullseye.
"Boss," Bullseye said. "We've found the target."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"You found Domino?"
"Yes."
"Then send the team."
With that single order, dozens of second-tier enhanced soldiers departed from Typhon Manor.
They began a full-scale manhunt according to Ethan's pre-arranged plan.
Since the objective was to capture Domino alive, the team carried additional non-lethal weapons.
Logically speaking, with the support of Lady Spiderweb's Heavenly Eye, dozens of enhanced soldiers should have been more than enough to capture one person.
Yet when Bullseye called again later and reported that Domino had escaped, Ethan was momentarily speechless.
She actually got away?
Just like that?
That felt like a slap in the face.
Fortunately, Bullseye's next words reassured him.
Although Domino had fought her way out, she had still been hit with an anesthetic dart.
Trying to protect herself, she rushed directly into a police station, assuming that would keep her safe.
Unfortunately for her, that decision only walked her straight into Ethan's territory.
With Ethan's connections and the police chief's cooperation, extracting a single prisoner—especially a young Black woman—was effortless.
So Domino was quietly delivered to Ethan's office while she remained unconscious.
By Ethan's aesthetic standards, the mixed-race woman was considered quite attractive among women with darker skin tones.
Unfortunately, that particular type had never interested him very much.
After a brief visit to the Kingdom of God, however, she had already become one of his people.
Ethan instructed Bullseye to contact the Viper Gang.
Only one person was allowed to come.
Bullseye understood immediately.
"Mission accomplished."
When Euphemia arrived, she still wore the same disguise as before.
Ethan did not expose her identity.
But the moment she saw him sitting behind the desk, her expression shifted slightly.
It was obvious she had already guessed the truth.
The lighting during their encounter had been dim, and she hadn't cared enough at the time to study the face of the man she slept with.
Now everything suddenly made sense.
She had slept with the head of the snake.
Ethan pointed casually toward Domino, who was pretending to remain unconscious on the sofa.
"She's right here," he said calmly.
Then he smiled.
"But why should I give her to you?"
Euphemia bit her lip softly.
Her expression looked helpless and slightly pitiful.
"What do you want?"
Ethan leaned back in his chair and grinned.
"I'm in a terrible mood right now."
Her cheeks turned faintly red as she slowly walked closer.
Her movements carried a subtle, seductive charm.
"Don't move," she whispered softly.
"I'll handle it."
.....
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